Fort Wimberly: A large remnant of battery outside Savannah survives. Its guns were trained on what is now the famous Moon River

1990s survey shows Confederate earthworks (Larry Babits, Armstrong State College)

In war, commanders depend on manpower and materiel. But for Federal forces during the Civil War there also were intangibles, such as the strategy of “always keep them guessing.” The Union’s taking of Fort Pulaski near Savannah in 1862 – for example -- led the Confederacy to pour precious resources into building and manning seaward defenses, just in case of an invasion.

Ultimately, most of those outposts ringing Savannah were never tested.

One such fortification was Fort (Battery) Wimberly on the Isle of Hope. While the taking of Pulaski essentially made the Savannah port useless, there were other reasons for the South to build defenses that would blunt further incursions inland.

“A lot of the pressure for coast defense comes from the slave owners and coastal residents because of concerns about the real and potential loss of African-American slaves,” says Jim Ogden, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park staff historian. “The loss of Port Royal, and then Pulaski, caused a lot of owners to move many of their slaves inland at least for a while, but there were still enough slaves in the region to grow the apparently extensive rice crop Sherman found in December 1864.”

The fort overlooks what is now called Moon River (GBA photo)

Ogden served as guide during the Georgia Battlefields Association’s mid-April tour of Savannah, which included a walk to Fort Wimberly and stops at other Confederate defenses.

The well-preserved earthen fortification is just off the orange trail at Wormsloe State Historic Site, which interprets colonial settlement in the 18^th century. The fort overlooks what is now called Moon River – yes, the one mentioned in the classic Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini tune. During the Civil War, it was called the Back River.

Wimberly “represents, along with the nearby Rose Dhu earthworks, Fort Screven on Green Island and portions of the Fort Bartow works on Causton’s Bluff, the finest extant remaining examples of Confederate earthen fortifications,” wrote archaeologist Larry Babits in his 1992 survey for Armstrong State College (now part of Georgia Southern University.”

Made up of parapets, traverses and terrepleins, Fort Wimberly basically had two long, parallel lines of earthworks and featured several artillery pieces and perhaps a few dozen troops. It was built to protect an old causeway and internal communications.

A small portion of Fort Wimberly (Georgia Battlefields Assn.)

The first period of construction was in 1861-1862, possibly continuing into 1863. Enslaved persons and soldiers built walls up to 20 feet high. The second phase took part during the second half of 1864. The Confederacy’s upgrades failed to make a real difference – because the site was never attacked.

Rebel troops evacuated the area in December when Federal forces were on the verge of taking Savannah by land. Union troops occupied the works for a time afterward and dismantled a portion of the fort.

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the GBA, and Ogden argue the US Navy had little incentive to spend a lot of resources trying to reduce all the batteries in the years following the fall of Fort Pulaski. But, as Crawford points out, the defenses did serve somewhat as a deterrent.

Savannah was ringed by fortifications, click to enlarge (Georgia Battlefields Assn)

The North did expend a lot of effort and resources against Charleston. But pushing into a major concentration of coastal defenses was the exception.

“Even the North, with a lot more shipping capacity than the Confederates, didn't have/chose not to have -- versus expending resources on other efforts -- the shipping capacity to mount extensive over-the-shore (to use a modern term) operations,” Ogden wrote the Picket. 

Today, Fort Wimberly – like many of the other Savannah defenses – remains off the beaten path. It is cloaked by trees in the southwestern edge of Wormsloe, though noise from the nearby Diamond Causeway does intrude upon a visit to the site. Park staff do not conduct programs at the site, instead concentrating on Wormsloe's rich colonial history.

Lewis H. Strickland, writing for the Isle of Hope Historical Association, says: “This unimproved woods road that skirts the marsh in many areas provides several imposing vistas. Scenic fresh water ponds, views of the Intracoastal Waterway, destroyed whiskey stills and atypical coastal woodlands greet the hiker. Access is not presently open to the public but arrangements can be made for groups to visit the fort.”

A marker on the trail provides some information on the obscure fort, but tells visitors to stay well away from the earthworks.

Jim Ogden (far left) led interpretation at Wormsloe, other sites (GBA photo)

Officials in the past have decried the effects of relic hunting and worried about people crawling over the earthworks. The Picket has reached out to park management about public access but has received no reply.

Mary-Elizabeth Ellard, GBA secretary and trustee, said the group had communicated with the park before its Ogden-led tour of the 200 yards of earthworks. There is a small trail around the fortification.

“Multiple people commented that how well it is preserved was the most noteworthy part of that visit,” Ellard to the Picket in an email. “Also, circling the works gives a sense of size and its proximity to the water (hence its value for locating a fort).”

A recent GBA newsletter said Wimberly “illustrated how the many Confederate sand and earth forts were both substantial and -- compared to masonry forts -- quickly reparable.”

Fort Wimberly might not be as well-known or important as the larger Confederate Fort Jackson or Fort McAllister, but “it is part of a system, along with Causten's, Thunderbolt, and the others, that is a window into several other usually overlooked aspects of the Civil War era,” says Ogden.

Alabama's Fort Blakeley: By boat or by foot, visitors can take in miles of fortifications stormed in last days of war

Remains of Rebel fortifications at Fort Blakeley

Delta Explorer will be on the water Saturday (Courtesy Historic Blakeley SP)

Forty-nine passengers will board a giant pontoon boat this Saturday morning and glide down rivers lined by the remnants of earthen fortifications that protected eastern approaches to Mobile, Ala., during the closing months of the Civil War.

Leaving the dock on the Tensaw River and peering through shadows cast by live oaks, magnolia and gum trees, they’ll first see part of the Confederate inner lines at Fort Blakeley, scene of the largest battle in Alabama. The Delta Explorer will then pass near Rebel river batteries Fort Tracy and Fort Huger (pronounced u-chee) as it continues on the Apalachee and Blakeley rivers to Spanish Fort, site of Battery McDermott, which is now surrounded by homes. They'll turn back at the entrance to Mobile Bay.

Mike Bunn, director of operations at Historic Blakeley State Park, will give a PowerPoint presentation during the sold-out, 90-minute cruise (the park currently is taking reservations for another Civil War boat ride on Nov. 11).

John Sledge, local author of “These Rugged Days: Alabama in the Civil War,” will make an 11 a.m. lecture at the park’s Wehle Center following the cruise.

Map showing opposing lines in April 1865 (Library of Congress)

The idea is to give patrons an appreciation of why each navy wanted to control the waters and the strategic importance of the fortifications. The Confederate bastions were overrun in a combined Federal infantry and naval operation that saw Blakeley fall on the same day Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox – April 9, 1865.

Notable was the presence of numerous Federal regiments made up of black soldiers.

“We have got miles and miles of extraordinarily preserved Union and Confederate earthworks,” Bunn said of the park. The site draws history buffs, campers and nature lovers to its 2,100 acres a half dozen miles north of Spanish Fort, a bedroom community on Interstate 10 just east of Mobile.

Settlement faded away before war

About 40,000 people venture annually to the state park, drawn by its beauty and signs along Interstate 10 touting its Civil War pedigree. Bunn said some come for both.

The teeming town of Blakeley thrived in the 1810s as white settlers followed Native American habitation. It sat on a long, level piece of land. About 3,000 lived on the river, building docks to make the town a port. But yellow fever and the growth of Mobile made Blakeley’s days numbered.

“It had reached its heyday in late 1820s,” said Bunn. The ground would find a new purpose during the war.

(Courtesy of Historic Blakeley State Park)

The site features primitive group campgrounds, an RV area, trails and all those Civil War fortifications and a few monuments.  More than 90 percent of the Confederate line and most of three Union lines outside them remain in some form. Some fortifications are up to 5 feet tall.

“We’ve opened up some Union battery positions this summer that were never on tour,” said Bunn.

While a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has helped to preserve Battery McDermott in Spanish Fort, not much else beyond a stretch of trenches remain. “The sites of the fortifications at Spanish Fort have been lost to development,” says a web page describing the Civil War Trust’s contributions to preservation of Fort Blakeley.

Spanish moss accents a tree at the park (Library of Congress)

Road to Mobile starts here

Bunn wrote an article for the Encyclopedia of Alabama about the Battle of Fort Blakeley. Although Union Adm. David Farragut bottled up Mobile in the summer of 1864, the city remained in Confederate hands and had three rings of defenses to the west. 

Brig. Gen. Liddell

The arrival of additional Federal troops in early 1865 brought about the campaign to take Fort Blakeley, Spanish Fort and other guardians east of Mobile, a vital transportation and supply center.

“There are good elevations around here,” Bunn told the Picket. “If you want to take Mobile the easiest route would be via the eastern shore … and come from the north.””

By this time, Confederate commanders used soldiers and slaves to build these earthen fortifications. Fort Blakeley was built following designs typical for a defense against a ground attack. It was commanded by Brig. Gen. St. John R. Liddell.

Click this Mobile campaign map to enlarge (Library of Congress)

Black troops played significant part

Officials say the park has some of the best-preserved fortifications remaining from the Civil War.

A self-guided tour takes visitors to the remains of nine defensive redoubts, trenches, Union gun emplacements, rifle pits and more.

Union troops laid siege of Blakeley for about a week. On the day of the assault, 16,000 blue-clad warriors quickly overwhelmed Brig. Gen. John Lindell’s 3,500 Confederates, half of whom were veteran troops.

Among the stops on the tour is a “zig zag” trench.

“This approach trench, dug under fire a short time before the final charge, served as a protected connection between the main Union line and advanced rifle pits. It is designed to protect troops from enfilade fire. As the siege proceeded, ‘zig-zag’ trenches such as this would ultimately help form new lines.’”

Redoubt #4 (Courtesy of Historic Blakeley State Park)

The campaigns for Blakeley and Spanish Fort included more than 4,000 U.S. Colored Troops, among the heaviest concentration of black soldiers in one battle.

“The siege and capture of Fort Blakeley was basically the last combined-force battle of the war. African-American forces played a major role in the successful Union assault,” the National Park Service says. Mobile fell within days.

An interesting side note: Confederates placed ineffective land mines, called "subterra shells," on the approaches to the fort.

Fierce, but brief, fighting

Maj. Gen. Canby

Maj. Gen. Edward Canby’s forces first surrounded Spanish Fort on March 27, 1865. Most of the Confederate troops escaped to Mobile or Blakeley and the fort fell on April 8. Two Union commands combined to storm Fort Blakeley the following day, unaware of Lee’s surrender in Virginia.

“Sheer numbers breached the Confederate earthworks, compelling the Confederates to capitulate,” the National Park Service says.

Bunn, in his encyclopedia article, describes the scene:

A view of redoubt #6 (Courtesy of HBSP)

“Once the Union troops reached the Confederate line, fierce, close-quarters combat briefly raged. Some defenders threw down their arms and surrendered or turned and ran after the Union troops had overrun their position, but others fought on even after being surrounded. Despite their resistance, the Union attackers overwhelmed the Confederate line and the fighting was over within 30 minutes. A very small number of Confederate soldiers, perhaps a few dozen, escaped via the river.”

Fort Huger sat in this spot on river near main fort

About 75 Confederates were killed and the Union lost 150, with several hundred wounded.

“Allegations that some Confederates were shot even after they surrendered to USCT troops surfaced almost immediately after the battle and the truth of what happened in its chaotic last moments continues to be the subject of research and speculation today,” Bunn wrote. “Available evidence indicates some Union soldiers indeed may have fired on Confederates who had surrendered, but there was no large-scale massacre.”

As for the land mines?

“Some of the Union casualties occurred after the battle, as the mine-ridden battlefield continued to claim victims until captured prisoners were forced to point out their locations,” Bunn wrote.

Historic Blakeley State Park has Civil War tours several times a year and the Delta Explorer makes journeys related to nature and Mobile. A Civil War re-enactment and living history is held in late March or early April. The next Civil War cruise is set for Nov. 11. Please call 251-626-0798 to register. Tickets are $27 for adults, $15 for children ages 6 to 12.

Interpretive panels on site (Courtesy of HBSP)

Remembering Atlanta's formidable defenses

Engineer Lemuel P. Grant had quite a chore ahead of him beginning in the summer of 1863. The possibility of Union forces one day besieging Atlanta was becoming a reality.

With seed money of $5,000 to buy property and equipment, Grant, a native of Maine, and Col. Moses Wright began erecting the South’s fiercest defenses.

“They told him put to a fort on somebody’s pasture,” said living historian Robert Mitchell of Loganville, Ga. “It doesn’t matter whose.”

Grant (photo below) began buying private property and placating homeowners who had to move out of the way.

The 12-mile circle around the city had 25 forts/redoubts when it was completed using civilian and slave labor by the summer of 1864. The photo by George Barnard above was taken near the current Georgia Tech campus.

Using old maps and photos, Mitchell (bottom photo) gave visitors at the recent B*ATL an overview of just how dug in the city had become.

The defenses roughly track the boundaries of modern downtown Atlanta. You have to remember this was a pretty small city, although it had become the industrial and transportation center of the Deep South.

Union Gen. William T. Sherman knew a frontal assault on Fort Peachtree and Fort Hood, for example, would be costly.

His chief engineer found the fortifications “too strong to assault and too extensive to invest.”

"They completely encircled the city," Capt. O.M. Poe reported, "at a distance of about one and a half miles from the center and consisted of a system of batteries, open to the rear and connected by infantry parapets, with complete abatis, in some places in three or four rows, with rows of pointed stakes, and long lines of chevaux-de-frise.

"In many places rows of palisading were planted along the foot of the exterior slope of the infantry parapet with sufficient openings be¬tween the timbers to permit the infantry fire, if carefully delivered, to pass freely through it, but not sufficient to permit a person to pass through, and having a height of twelve to fourteen feet. The ground in front of these palisades was always completely swept by fire from the adjacent batteries, which enabled a very small force to hold them."

In the end, attacking the defenses wasn’t necessary. After three key battles outside the defenses, Sherman won the vital railroads he wanted. Gen. John Bell Hood and his forces had to evacuate Atlanta on Sept. 1, 1864.

Today, practically nothing from the fortifications survives.